Another Night
by LBWind
Summary: Xehanort seemed haunted. Haunted not by ghosts, but by his dreams. The only way he can possibly unravel the mystery of these dreams is by setting out and exploring the worlds he sees through his dreams. Alternate Universe, Birth By Sleep era
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys! I figured you would like something fresher and newer coming from me. It's been a while, and I'm storing "High School Hearts"(currently known as "The Awakening") for another time, since my creativity with that story has been relatively spent and I am not as inspired as I used to be. I'm SO sorry for my lack of work, but I hope this new story will make up for it. This story is based off of "Confusing Dreams" by WishingDreamer5, but this story is AU. Like, completely Kingdom Hearts-altering. If you have not read any of WishingDreamer5's stories, I recommend you do so (after giving me a chance, of course :3). WishingDreamer5 is a fantastic writer and helpful constructive critic, so go look at their profile after reading what I have to offer! :3**

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_When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the heart that once was... for all the answers are within._

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Another night passed, and Xehanort was sure he was being haunted. How else could he explain these strange dreams that consistently occurred? There was no explanation for these hallucinations, these illusions that came from his subconscious and delved into his thoughts for the rest of his days.

Xehanort briefly remembered these dreams beginning ever since Ansem the Wise and his apprentices found him in Radiant Garden, his previous life a mysterious subject. When Xehanort offered himself up as a test subject in the experiments on darkness in people's hearts, his dreams became stronger, more vivid. Almost as if they were…_memories_.

_Stop it_, Xehanort thought as he entered the underground laboratory underneath Ansem's castle. He was returning to the lab to speculate more on the darkness in people's hearts. How could he stop it? Then again, Xehanort didn't even know if there was darkness in his own heart, or if there was light. It was too much for him to try to remember more about himself; he passed out last time he tried to remember. The scientists wouldn't let him out of bed for a week, as they were trying to determine the cause of his collapse.

"It is time that we experiment on our machine," Ansem spoke eagerly, with a jolly look on his face. He obviously didn't know that Xehanort was standing there, or he would have immediately acknowledged him then continued his statement.

"What? But, Ansem, do we even know if the machine is ready yet?" young Ienzo asked, his blue-grey eyes peeking from his slate-colored fringe of hair. He was the youngest apprentice of them all, and he was definitely the one who questioned everything being done, as if everything must be an illusion.

Ansem, with a proud stance no matter the time, day, or situation, swiftly turned and glanced at Ienzo with a piercing gaze. Xehanort was always thrown off by how brown Ansem's eyes were, and how the amber glow radiating from his eyes was so familiar to that of Xehanort's. "Ienzo," he calmly said with a deep, booming voice, "Experiments are meant to reveal the nature of our subject and show what it is capable of. Have faith in this machine. We will never know if the machine works if we do not try to make it work."

Ienzo looked mildly taken aback, but he nodded in agreement. It was obvious to Xehanort why Ansem was known as "Ansem the Wise". The man not only had a knowing look, but he could give you faith in whatever he had faith in, even if he didn't know what would happen.

"Ah, Xehanort! Are we ready to test the machine?" Ansem asked of him, to which Xehanort could not say 'no'. "Well, Ansem, it is really up to you, but I propose that we give our machine a try."

"Splendid!" Ansem's eyes glowed brighter than usual, Xehanort thought. It was as if he was expecting something special to happen. The men got to work, preparing to test the machine on Xehanort. Meanwhile, Xehanort was mentally preparing himself for the test. The dreams, however, were still on his mind. He was coming to the point of insanity, but he knew that these dreams had some meaning. What meaning, he did not know.

Before Xehanort could push his dreams to the back of his mind, Ansem brought him aside to the back of the room and into another room the size of a closet. All of Ansem's elixirs and potions and chemicals were stored here, and it was in Ansem's best interests that he keep them away from above ground. Xehanort didn't know why Ansem drug him there, but he assumed that there was some good reason for it.

Ansem left the door open and spoke quietly, "Xehanort, I suspect that this trial of our machine may revive your memories from their slumber."

"What brings you to this conclusion?" Xehanort inquired, his bright brown eyes thoughtful and wondering.

"If there is lingering darkness in your heart and this machine separates this darkness from you, the light may bring your memories back; whether in an instant or through an eternity, I cannot say." Ansem looked solemnly at Xehanort, the scientist obviously hoping for his hypothesis to come true. He continued, "Just trust in me that this may work, my friend."

Xehanort did trust in Ansem, that much was true. What Xehanort could not comprehend was the return of his memories. He felt as if his memories were slowly coming through to him, but only through his sleep. This was a new birth by sleep, a time when Xehanort could come to the conclusion of whether or not he is who his dreams interpreted him as. Only one thing could be done: Xehanort must go to the machine.

The men stepped out as Dilan, another apprentice, approached them with a skeptical visage gracing his features. "Ready, Xehanort?"

The silver-haired man thought to himself, _Am I really? _"As ready as I'll ever be," Xehanort chose to respond, Ansem becoming moderately giddy. The scientists all receded from the machine and Xehanort in case something should happen. He moved forward, his heart pounding and his vision already growing blurry. Anything could happen in the next minute, he knew. But it was his job as a scientist to go out into the unknown and discover everything that can be discovered.

The metal steps clanged and creaked under his hard shoes, and that sound reverberated through the silent space underneath the castle. Xehanort made one last step to the center of the machine and stopped, the suspense killing him as he waited for the scientists to begin. He heard the booming sound of the lever being pulled and beaten against the panel that activated the machine, and as Xehanort heard the first hissing sparks he immediately lost his breath. Images took over his vision as the electricity pulsated through him and flashed about the room. The initial shock alone made the man scream, but what haunted him was another vision of two… no, three or four… people who often occurred in his dreams night after night. The last thing he felt was an electrical surge running through his veins. The last thing he heard was, _"Come back! Don't give in!"_ The last thing he saw was blue hair and blue eyes on a young woman.

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**Please follow, favorite, and/or review me/this story! I am more than open to constructive criticism, and I also enjoys pats on the back if I do well. Even one word is nice, but please let me know what you think of this story. Feel free to PM me if you have any suggestions that you feel I should use, and I hope you look forward to my next chapter! :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! I hope you're happy to see me so soon. :3 I must disclaim the Kingdom Hearts stuff, because I don't own any of it. I do, however, own this story's plot since it's AU from Birth by Sleep. Enjoy this story, it will pick up next chapter!**

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Xehanort sat up in bed and gasped, the air returning to his lungs. He could not for the life of him remember what happened. One minute, he was standing in the machine; the next, he was lying alone in bed. The plush cushions could not revive his memory, and the only thing Xehanort was left with was another dream.

_Two boys and a girl sat together watching the stars overhead. The grass was as perfectly cut as it was green. It and the starry night sky contrasted merely due to the light shining from the castle's garden, which illuminated every surface and gave the surfaces facing away shadows. Land masses descended lower and lower to a moat-like pool surrounding one mass, the gators replaced by lily pads. Bridges and patches of dirt and stone were scattered about as a trail for the occasional walker._

_The girl looked uncomfortable, bothered by some unknown nuisance. But then she spoke, and Xehanort gasped in his sleep at the sound. "What will we do?" Her cerulean blue eyes sparkled with a worry, a fear. She was scared, but of what? She tugged on her equally blue hair, which was relatively short and spiked in the back. Her flawless face was creased as she waited for one of the boys to respond._

"_Aqua, you're such a girl. You worry too much. Master Eraqus is never going to find out about what you did in the library," a brunet man who looked eerily similar to Xehanort told the girl, a small smile gracing his features. The difference between him and Xehanort was brown hair, cobalt blue eyes, and paler skin in contrast to Xehanort's olive complexion, his white hair and his alarming amber orbs._

_The brunet's statement piqued the younger boy's interest, as he didn't know what they were talking about. "Whoa, whoa, wait. What happened?" The young man asked the elders, his blonde windswept spikes swishing as he twisted his head to look at both Aqua and the man. The man gave an attractive lopsided grin as he told the blonde, "I happened to walk in on Aqua trying out a new fire spell in the library. Now her stack of books is ashes."_

_The blonde laughed heartily, glancing at the girl with a white smile and squinted blue eyes that were prepared to tease her. Aqua's pale face was dusted with a bright pink blush that made her all the more pretty as she shoved the boy lightly and said, "Oh, hush, Ven. Don't think I don't know about your little incident with Terra in the bathroom."_

_Ven's face flushed and he became white with horror as he stammered, "Wh-where did you hear about that?" Aqua smirked and Terra turned around, unwilling to look her in the eye. Xehanort knew what he felt, but he was so glad he didn't know what that incident was about. It was probably humiliating on multiple levels. Instead, Terra pulled out a star-shaped object from his pant pocket. If he couldn't look at Aqua, he would stare at his Wayfinder that she made for him, even though it was growing old. It was made from shards of metal, pulled together only by string. The Wayfinder was growing rusty from Terra's many nights out in the rain, where he would practice fighting with his Keyblade and the time would be three o'clock in the morning when either Aqua or Master Eraqus would bring him back to the castle and he would go to bed._

_Aqua snapped her fingers in front of Terra's face, bringing him back from his reverie. Terra sat up straight and looked at the bluenette, his gaze intense. Her face was inches from his, a completely different distance from merely two minutes ago. "Terra, you alright?" Aqua inquired, checking Terra's face for a sign of something wrong. Terra gulped and swallowed down his sudden impulse to plant a kiss on the woman in front of him. Ven seemed to have disappeared, and Terra wondered how long he'd been sitting there. It didn't seem long at all, he couldn't have possibly lost much time._

"_Ven went inside a minute ago, want to come in?" the girl asked him considerately. He couldn't resist the offer from her, so he nodded his head and they departed for their castle._

Xehanort shook his head, unwilling to take the pressure of his dreams or memories or whatever they were. Shakily rising from his bed, Xehanort got up and approached the sink, turning on the faucet. Water spurted out in bursts, starting cold then transitioning to a comfortable warmth. Xehanort splashed the water on his face, hoping he'll wake up more and think straight. However, thinking straight was not an option. He was suffering from these dreams, and he didn't know what to do. There was only one person he could go to for help.

The man dashed from his room to the office of his employer, Ansem the Wise. Xehanort had to get answers from this man. Said man was sitting at his desk, staring at his documents through glasses. As soon as Xehanort burst through the doors, Ansem looked up in a startled manner. "Xehanort," he stared, worried or awestruck, "is everything all right? What is the matter?"

"I've been dreaming, Ansem. These dreams, though, don't seem to be dreams."

Ansem leaned back in his chair and urged, "Whatever do you mean?"

Xehanort paced about the room, looking for the right words that wouldn't make him sound crazy. Eventually, he found them. "Ansem, I have reason to believe these are memories from my past. I don't know what any of it means, though. If anything, I am beyond confused. I see someone who looks like me in these memories, but I feel as if I am a different person in the same body. Tell me, are there any more experiments to take place with the machine?"

Ansem removed his glasses slowly and muttered with his strong, commanding voice, "Actually, Xehanort, I am shutting down experimentation on the machine. It's too dangerous, and I feel that the heart shall always be a mystery, no matter how much we investigate, analyze and collect data."

The apprentice stood for a minute in his place and thought this conclusion over. In a way, there was no mystery to the heart, which made it all the more an enigma. Xehanort supposed that Ansem was right, as his name was Ansem the Wise. _A wise man shouldn't be argued with_, Xehanort thought, a sudden pang coming to his chest as the name Master Eraqus came to mind. Who was that Master Eraqus, really? And why did Xehanort feel more than one connection to him, even though one might be dormant? Xehanort had to learn the truth, and the truth would not be found in Ansem's castle. It was about time for Xehanort to open up to the worlds, anyway. "Ansem, with your permission, I would like to depart and travel the worlds so I can regain my memories."

Ansem appeared alarmed by Xehanort's proposition, but even he was curious as to the identity of his apprentice. "Xehanort," said the scientist, "Go forth and discover the truth, as you are a blossoming scientist. You have my permission."

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